The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-26
SOME OF OUR NEEDS.
BY THE L, @,z NJ. L. EDWARDS.

In wide setsxt our needs are of two
kinds objectiyeS and subjective. We
need somethin b from without, some
thing we can oct produce, something
we cannot obtain by anything that we
can do, sOmetfing which must and does
come to us unsAdght. What we thus
need is a reyel,sti0n fr0rn heaven. We
need to know God a5 our Father and
Benefactor. Wss,eed to know his truth
and his loye. yng word, we need to
know the gospeIDf Jesus Christ. This
need we do not ave TO go after, or send
for. 1t comes t. us unsought, and gra-
'tuit0nsly. tt V here. 1t meets us
face to face. Tx message sounds inxit-
ingly in our easll But we may have
eyes and see not We may have ears
and hear not. This gracious message
may be to as cad letter. If so, we
are like empty yessels, like steam en-
Rine without steam, like an animal
body without tift. What we need now,
subjectiyeiy, is the reception of this
gospel message< not nominally, not in
teilectuslIy me ely-but in the heart,
in its purity, 81 nplicity and spiritual
ity. So receiva e it, we are morally
equippei for tti discharge of our obli-
cations.
From visa ha been said, we have an
end to sea al "a work to do, in the
discharge If ouS high religious obliga-
tiOns. Tbls eng and work can be none
other than thu sor which Christ came
into our wcr.st to promote his reign
among men, anA save them from dark
ness, and igrora ee, and spiritual death,
| and lift theaaAto heaven of light,
and knowledge and life eternal. AS
| individuals, as eslurches, as associations
in various f0rns, we have each our
allotted pertiof of this work to do
| and it behG9Sks us to do promptly.
| wisely, and wix a will-in season and
out of season eparticular work next
at hand. EvpsFtunities should not be
allowed to slip dom us.
In the eeonos N of the divine plan,
divine and tpns b agency must cooper
ate in this worh The divine is always
ready, offering Us help, pointing out
the way, apd ollpting to action. 1t
| is oars tc and work in the ap-
EpolAtsd waye kshe end to be attained.
: a.allectually ard NOR
ally blind, in looking around us and
over the world, we can see wherein the
case of individuals and communities,
the reign of the gospel has not taken
effect, OF has had bat little influence
where evil predominates and good is
shut out-wheTe infdelity, iTreligiOn,
and neglect of religion prevail. Here
we see work that needs to be done. 1t
can scarcely be otherwise than that
cases of this kind are just at our hand,
individually and if perchance we have
neglected the work we might have
done, and the evil runs on in conse-
quence, there has been failure, short
coming, and may be very serious one.
There are sins of omission as well as of
commission. ''To him who knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is SIM"
While we may have done something
in this field of labor, we may still have
come very far short Of doing all we
could have done. 1t is hardly sufficient
for us to be able to say that we have
contributed of our means to build a
church and support the ministry, and
what is so done is standing invita-
tion to all to come and hear the gospel;
and if any do not come, the failure is
ON their part, and the loss is theirs. If
we stop here when we may go further,
the failure and loss are ours as well as
theirs. There are many other agencies
and influences which may be made use
Of, which a quick eye will notice, and a
ready hand will resort to, largely de-
pendent on circumstan ces-On time,
and place, and occasion. We ought
individually to be ''living epistles" to
all who know us, saying, "Come with
us and we will do you coed, for the
Lord has spoken coed concerning Is
rael."
1t ought ever to be borne in mind
that true church is a missionary insti-
tuition and that therefore any organi-
zatiOn called by such name, and having
no missionary spirit, and doing no mis-
sionary work, has no right to the name
Christianity itself is a missionary insti-
tuition. 1t could not be otherwise, for
Christ came from heaven to earth as a
missionary. His disciples must be his
followers, individually and collectively.
All must then engage in missionary
work.
1t will be seen that L do not use the
phrase, missionary work" in the mar
row sense of sending missionaries to
preach the gospel in heather lands, but
in the broad sense of making our lives
tell, by precept and example, for the
good of all who come within our indu-
ence. To the extent that the mission
airy spirit prevails, human selfshness is
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